The present invention relates in general to a coating apparatus and specifically, to an apparatus and method for simultaneously coating and measuring a part, and simultaneously coating the part based on the desired dimension of the part, desired coating thickness or both the desired dimension and coating thickness.
Several different types of parts that rub, slide rotate or otherwise move are manufactured and assembled for various industries. The parts are used on different types of products, devices, equipment and machines. The characteristics of the parts vary based on the particular use for the parts. Some parts used in certain products, devices, equipment and machines are often subject to stress such as wear and heat. Eventually, certain parts break or become ineffective after continuous and repeated use.
One method commonly used to increase the durability of the parts subject to various types of stresses during operation is to apply protective coatings to the parts. Some coatings protect parts against friction or wear so that the parts are more durable and last longer in operation. Other coatings enhance the aesthetic appearance or corrosion resistance of the parts. Coatings may be applied to the entire part or only applied to a particular wall, portion or section of the part. The particular coating, and application of the coating, depends in part on the part and the coating process requested or desired by the manufacturer of the part, purchaser of the part or user of the part.
Known coating apparatus coat several different types of parts including machined, threaded, fabricated, molded and die-cast parts. Such parts are typically manually placed on a part holder or support and then sprayed with a coating. The part may be moved as necessary to coat the part or the particular portions of the part. The vast majority of parts have dimensional tolerances or tolerance levels, and design specifications that limit the size (including all dimensions) of the part and the amount of coating, such as the maximum and minimum amount of the coating that may be applied to the part or any section, portion or dimension of the part. The maximum and minimum coating thicknesses for a part or parts are determined based on mechanical, dimensional and/or corrosion requirements and other similar quality or design parameters. The dimensional tolerances and design specifications are determined from detailed calculations based on the particular machine, equipment, product, device or industrial operation that the part will be used in. Therefore, the part must be measured to ensure that the part falls within and does not exceed the particular dimension tolerances and/or maximum and minimum coating thicknesses specified for the part so the part will fit to allow assembly of the part and function for the design and/or warranty life of the unit or assembly.
In one known process, non-coated parts are initially measured to determine if they are within an acceptable dimensional range. Some non-coated parts are too large and cannot be coated because the coating will make the parts larger than the upper dimensional limit of the parts, and unfit for use. Other non-coated parts are too small and cannot be coated because too much coating would have to be applied to the parts in order to meet the predetermined dimensional tolerances. Such excessive coating on a part may become weak and may be prone to breaking or causing the part to fail during operation. Such unusable parts are usually discarded or recycled. The non-coated parts that are within an acceptable dimensional range for coating are individually placed on a part support and sprayed or coated by a sprayer. The sprayer sprays or coats the part with an amount of coating determined according to a particular procedure that is calculated, and often estimated, by the operator or processor so that a reasonably sufficient amount of coating is applied to the part to make the part within dimensional tolerances. In certain known coating systems, the amount of coating is not determined for each part, but rather for a group or lot of parts. Therefore, the amount of coating applied to each part may or may not be based on the exact measurement of such part as the wet or dry coating to be applied to the parts cannot be measured with mechanical contact-type measuring devices. Even if a mechanical contact-type measuring device were used to measure the coated part or parts, the applied coating on the part would be blemished or altered due to the contact of the measuring device on the coating which renders the part or parts unusable.
In other known coating systems, prior to coating the part, the part is measured to determine if it is within acceptable dimensional ranges established for the part. If the part is within the acceptable dimension range, the amount of coating needed to coat the part to achieve the final product size is calculated and then applied to the part. After the coating is applied, the part is measured to ensure that the coated part is still within the dimensional tolerance limits and design specifications for the part. If the coated part is not within the dimensional tolerance limits and/or the design specifications for the part, the part is unusable and either the coating is removed and subsequently re-applied or the part is discarded. If the part falls within the tolerance limits and design specifications for the part, the part is removed from the part support and transported to the manufacturer, purchaser or user of the part.
One known problem with such known coating processes is that the coating that is applied to the part is applied without any measurements taken while the part is being coated. After completion of the coating process, the coated part is measured to determine if it is within established dimensional tolerance levels and design specifications. If the coated part is not within the established tolerance levels and design specifications, the part cannot be used for its intended purpose. If the part is too large or too big, the part dimension cannot be reduced in order to meet the desired design specifications. Similarly, if the part is too small after applying the coating, additional coating cannot be applied because the original coating has been dried or oven cured and additional layers of coating would diminish the strength and durability of the part due to poor adhesion between the coating layers. Specifically, when low friction coatings such as Teflon(copyright) are used to coat a surface of a part and the coated surface is cured, the coated surface cannot be re-coated if the measured dimension of the part is too small. As a result, the coating on the part must be completely removed before the part can be re-coated or the part must be discarded. However, even if more coating could be added to the part, this essentially doubles the amount of time spent to produce a dimensionally acceptable part.
Therefore, a significant margin of error is introduced into or present in the known coating processes based on the calculation of the amount of coating to be applied to achieve the final product. The known coating processes calculate the total amount of coating needed to achieve the final part size only at the beginning of the coating process and in certain systems based on measurements taken of a group or lot of parts instead of individually on the part to be coated. In such case, all of the calculated amount of coating is applied to the part. Applying a large amount of coating to the part is less accurate than applying a smaller amount of coating because the margin of error is greater. As a result, some or all of the parts in a lot or batch of parts are unusable because the coated part or parts are outside of the acceptable dimensional tolerance levels for the part or parts.
Accordingly, there is a need for a coating apparatus and method that accurately measures a part size and/or the maximum and minimum coating thicknesses of a part while coating the part so that the part is coated with greater accuracy, consistency and efficiency, to provide complete usability of an entire lot or batch of parts. Additionally, there is a need for a coating apparatus and method that accepts varying uncoated part sizes and selectively applies a proportional amount of coating to the uncoated parts to generate coated parts, which have a final coated size within the desired design specifications for the parts.
The present invention provides a coating apparatus and method and more specifically a coating apparatus and method which measures a part, applies a coating to the part based on such measurement and continuously measures the part during the coating process.
One embodiment of the coating apparatus and method of the present invention includes a frame, a part support positioned adjacent to the frame, a sprayer connected to the frame and positioned adjacent to the part support, a part measurer connected to the frame and positioned adjacent to the part support, a processor that receives the measurements recorded by the part measurer and calculates the particular dimension of the part before and as the part is being coated by the sprayer and a display device that displays the part dimension or size to an operator before, after and during the coating process. In one embodiment, the coating method of the present invention applies an initial amount of coating and then a final amount of coating to the part. Applying the coating in two steps and in one embodiment applying a smaller final amount of coating, reduces the margin of error associated with the coating process which increases the accuracy of the coating process.
In one embodiment, the part support receives and holds the part during the measuring and coating process and rotates or otherwise moves the part as needed to ensure that the part or the portion or section of the part to be coated is sufficiently and equally coated by the sprayer. The part support is mounted on a housing which encloses a motor. The motor is mounted in the housing and causes the part support to rotate or otherwise move. The motor housing is secured to the frame to maintain the position of the part during the coating process. In another embodiment, the part support includes a conveyor which is positioned adjacent to the frame and adapted to hold and transport a plurality of parts. The conveyor transports each part to a position in front of the sprayer to be coated by the sprayer. The conveyor then transports the parts to other processes which makes the coating process fully automated.
In one presently preferred embodiment, the part measurer is secured to the frame and includes a laser generator and a laser receiver. In one embodiment, the laser generator is a laser scan micrometer. However, the laser generator may be any suitable laser generator. The laser generator generates a continuous laser beam which includes a plurality of rays which are projected onto the part and specifically on the dimension of the part to be coated. In one preferred embodiment, the laser generator and laser receiver are each mounted in protective housings. Each housing preferably includes a transparent removable section or member which enables the laser beam to pass through the section while protecting the laser generator and laser receiver from overspray. Certain portions of the laser beam or certain rays of the laser beam pass by the part and are received by the laser receiver. Other portions of the beam or certain rays are blocked by the part and are not received by the laser receiver. The laser receiver generates electrical signals based on the received portions of the laser beam. The signals are communicated to the processor which calculates the measurement of the dimension the part based on which rays are blocked and which rays are received by the laser receiver. The measurement data is communicated to the display device and displayed to an operator. In one embodiment, the operator may choose the type of information that is displayed on the display screen of the display device, such as the upper and lower dimension tolerance levels for the part.
In one embodiment, a plurality of part measurers including at least one laser generator and at least one laser receiver are positioned adjacent to the part on the part support. In this embodiment, each part measurer or each laser generator and corresponding laser receiver projects a laser beam and measures a different section of the part being coated by the sprayer. In another embodiment, the laser generators and corresponding laser receivers project laser beams and measure different coatings applied to a section or sections being coated on a part. For example, a first laser generator and a first laser receiver projects a laser beam and measures a base coating applied to a section of a part and a second laser generator and a second laser receiver projects a laser beam and measures a top coating or final coating applied to the same section of the part.
In one presently preferred embodiment, an exhaust duct is positioned on the side of the part support opposite the sprayer. The exhaust duct generates a vacuum or suctioning affect, which suctions and captures excessive spray or overspray generated by the sprayer which is not applied to the part. The exhaust duct may be any suitable type of exhaust duct.
In one presently preferred embodiment, the coating apparatus includes air movers positioned adjacent to the housings for the laser generator and the laser receiver to direct air across the transparent sections of the housing. This minimizes the amount of overspray from the sprayer that accumulates on the surfaces of the transparent sections of the housings of the laser generator and the laser receiver. Such accumulated coatings would eventually obstruct the laser beam generated by the laser generator and affect the measurement of the parts. In one preferred embodiment, the protective transparent members, plates or panels such as glass plates are slideably connected to the housings of the laser generator and the laser receiver. In another embodiment, the glass plates are removably connected to the housings using suitable adjustable and/or removable connectors or fasteners. It should be appreciated that the glass plates may be connected to the housings using any suitable connectors or connecting methods. It should also be appreciated that the air movers may alternatively suction or blow air to remove the excess coating from the vicinity of the glass plates.
In another embodiment, the sprayer applies a coating or coatings to a section of a part using a pulsing spray to prevent the coating or coatings from obstructing the laser beam emitted by the laser generator. Preventing the coating from obstructing or interfering with the laser, further enhances the accuracy of the dimension measurements taken by the part measurer. In this embodiment, the processor or computer controls the sprayer and causes the sprayer to generate the pulsing spray by activating the sprayer or turning the sprayer on for a designated time interval and then de-activating the sprayer or turning the sprayer off for a designated time interval. The processor also controls the laser generator and causes the laser generator to emit a laser beam when the sprayer is deactivated and deactivates the laser generator when the sprayer is activated. The alternate sequencing of the operation of the sprayer and the laser generator continues until the coating applied to the section of the part achieves a designated or desired thickness.
In an alternative embodiment, the sprayer applies a coating to a section of a part by using the pulsing spray method described above while the laser generator remains activated or continuously emits a laser towards the part. In this embodiment, the laser generator remains activated and takes measurements of the section of the part being coated when the sprayer is not coating the section of the part. Thus, the sprayer and laser generator alternately, sequentially apply the coating and take measurements of the section of the part. This sequence continues until the coating applied to the section of the part achieves a designated or desired coating thickness or dimension measurement for the section of the part.
In a further embodiment, a transparent protective device such as a roll of a protective material such as a suitable clear or transparent film or ribbon is attached adjacent to the front of each of the housings of the laser generator and the laser receiver to protect the laser generator and laser receiver and prevent the build up of coating on the front of the housings. The transparent film may be made using any suitable material such as a suitable plastic material which has a sufficient and suitable width and thickness. The transparent film advances or indexes from a protective material provider or film provider such as a first roller on one side of the front of the housing to a protective material receiver or film receiver such as a second roller on the other side of the housing. In one aspect of this embodiment, the second roller is rotatably connected to a suitable actuator such as a motor which is in communication with a processor. The processor causes the motor to rotate the second roller and advance or index the transparent film in intervals to provide a continual clear, clean and protective surface or window in front of each of the housings. It should be appreciated that other mechanisms may be employed in accordance with the present invention to provide a transparent protective material for the laser generator and the laser receiver.
One embodiment of the method of the present invention generally includes the steps described below. The part is initially measured to determine if the part is within a particular range of acceptable dimensions or sizes for the parts. To take the measurement, the laser generator generates a laser beam which is directed at the part. The laser receiver receives the unblocked portions of the laser beam and converts this information into electrical signals. The electrical signals are communicated to the processor, which calculates the dimension or size measurement of the part and/or the coating thickness of the coating on the part. If the part is unacceptable (i.e., the part size or coating thickness is not within an acceptable range) a prompt is provided to the user and the part is removed and discarded or recycled as necessary. If the part size and/or coating thickness is within an acceptable range, the measurement is communicated to the display device, which displays the measurement information to the operator. In a fully automated embodiment, the measurement is communicated to a robot (i.e., processor) or other processor, which controls the operation of the apparatus. In the semi-automated embodiment described above, the operator presses or activates an input such as a start button or pedal to initiate the coating process. After the input is activated, the processor turns the sprayer on and begins to coat the part. Once the part achieves the desired size, dimension and/or coating thickness for the part, the sprayer is shut off and the coated part is transported to another manufacturing area for further processing.
The coating may be applied in one or more steps using one or more spray guns to apply the coating or coatings to the part. In one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating is applied to the part in two steps with two sprayers. First, an identical, initial amount of coating is calculated and applied to each part. This initial coating may be the same coating or a different coating than the subsequently applied coating or coatings. The initial amount of coating is preferably greater than half of the total amount of coating to be applied to each part. In one embodiment, a significant percentage of the total coating such as approximately ninety-five percent of the total coating is first applied to each part. Each part is then re-measured with the laser device and a final amount of coating is calculated and applied to the parts. The final amount of coating is a smaller amount and therefore, the margin of error in calculating the amount of coating to be applied is significantly smaller and the total processing time of the parts is significantly reduced. By coating each part in two sequential coating steps, the present invention significantly reduces the margin of error or deviation between the final part size and the desired part size and increases production.
In another embodiment, the coating is applied to the part based on the desired dimension for the part. In this embodiment, the sprayer applies a coating to the part while the part measurer measures the dimension of the part being coated. The sprayer continues to apply the coating to the part until a predetermined dimension is achieved for the part. At this point, a final amount of coating is calculated and applied to the part as described above. The sprayer applies the final amount of coating to the part while the part measurer measures the part until the desired dimension is achieved.
In a further embodiment, the sprayer applies the coating to the part while the part measurer measures the part until the final desired dimension is achieved for the part. Therefore, the coating is applied to the part until the part measurer measures the desired final dimension for the part.
In another embodiment, the coating is applied based on the desired thickness of a coating applied to the part. The coating is applied to the part while the part measurer measures the thickness of the coating that is added to the part. When a desired coating thickness is achieved, the sprayer shuts off and the part is transported for further processing.
In a further embodiment, one or more coatings are applied to a part using a plurality of sprayers or spray guns in sequential steps. Each sprayer may apply the same coating, different coatings or any combination of coatings to the section or sections of the part. In one example of this embodiment, three sprayers are directed at a section of a part to be coated and the sprayers apply a base coating or primer, a middle coating or midcoat and a final coating or topcoat to the section of the part. The coatings are applied to the part separately while the part measurer simultaneously measures the thickness of each of the coatings as the coatings are applied to the part. The processor receives the coating thickness measurements for each of the coatings from the part measurer and controls the sprayers to apply a predetermined amount of each of the coatings to the part.
In one embodiment, the coating apparatus measures and coats only one portion of a part such as the outer surface of the part. In another embodiment, the part support moves the part in different directions such as upwards and downwards, so that more than one portion of a part can be measured and coated. In this embodiment, a shield may be employed to protect the other sections of the part from being coated.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the part is manually placed and removed from the part support in the coating apparatus and method of the present invention. In another embodiment, the part is placed on a part support which includes a conveyer which transports the part. In a further embodiment, the part is mechanically placed and removed from the part support such as by a robotic arm or similar device in the coating apparatus of the present invention. The present apparatus and method significantly enhances the productivity and production rates for manufacturing lines that coat parts because less time is needed to manually move and measure the parts.
In an alternative embodiment, the part measurer further includes a digital camera positioned adjacent to the part support. In this embodiment, the digital camera includes a digital motion picture camera, a digital television camera or a DVT camera. In another embodiment, the term digital camera is meant to include an analog camera in conjunction with a digital converter, which converts the analog picture or pictures taken by an analog camera to digital pictures. In one embodiment, the digital camera takes a plurality of sequential digital pictures of the entire part as one of the sections or surfaces of the part is being coated by the sprayer. Each of the pictures includes a plurality of pixels or picture elements. The sequential digital pictures (i.e., the pixels) are transferred or transmitted from the digital camera to a processor such as a central processing unit in a computer. In one embodiment, a display device such as a computer monitor displays the digital motion picture of the part as it is being coated by the sprayer. Additionally, the processor calculates the dimension measurements of the entire section of the part being coated based on the sequential digital pictures taken by the digital camera and displays these measurements on the display device. Using the calculated dimension measurements of the entire section being coated, the apparatus coats the section of the part with greater accuracy. Additionally, the DVT type part measurer detects defects or irregularities such as angles, tapers, coating drips or lumps, and any other irregular type of surface formed on the section of the part being coated with greater accuracy.
In one embodiment, the part measurer includes a laser generator, a laser receiver and a digital camera. The laser generator, laser receiver and the digital camera simultaneously measure at least two different planes of a dimension of the section of the part being coated while the section is coated by the sprayer. In one embodiment, prior to coating the part, the laser generator and the laser receiver measures one plane of a dimension of the section of the uncoated or raw part. Additionally, the takes a digital motion picture, digital picture or DVT picture of the entire part, which enables the processor to calculate at least one other or additional dimension of the section of the part. Therefore, the part measurer measures at least two planes of the dimension of the section of the part to determine if the uncoated or raw part is within a range of acceptable dimensions. When at least one of the dimensions calculated from the measurements of the uncoated part is not within or outside the range of acceptable dimensions for the section, the part is not coated and subsequently discarded. It should be appreciated that the acceptable dimension or range of dimensions for a section of a part being coated may be inputted by a user by entering the desired dimension or dimensions of the section of the part being coated using a suitable input device such as a keyboard. The processor processes the dimension data for the section and stores this information in a suitable memory device. The user also enters in the acceptable dimension tolerances or variances for the coated section of the part.
As the section of the part is being coated, the laser generator, laser receiver and the digital camera measure at least two planes of a dimension of the section of the part being coated. The measurements are transferred to the processor, which calculates the dimensions of the section of the part while its being coated. The calculated dimensions are compared to the desired dimension or dimensions for the section of the part being coated to determine whether the coated part is near or within acceptable dimension specifications and variances for the section.
The digital camera supplements the measurement taken by the laser generator and laser receiver by measuring at least one additional or other plane of the dimension of the part being coated. Because the digital camera takes at least one picture of the entire section of the part, the digital camera provides measurements for at least one additional plane or plurality of planes of the section of the part. Thus, the digital camera measures the entire section of the part (i.e., from the top of the section to the bottom of the section) and thereby measures the portions of the section that are not measured or difficult to measure with the laser generator and laser receiver. The digital camera therefore measures and detects defects or irregularities formed on the surface of the part (i.e., bumps, coating build up, tapers or drips) during the coating process, which may not be measured and detected by the laser generator and laser receiver. The coating operation can then be adjusted or stopped as necessary to correct or prevent the defective areas of the section of the part or the defective part or parts. Thus, the part measurer of this embodiment, significantly improves the coating accuracy and efficiency of the coating apparatus by measuring each plane of the surface of section of the part being coated and also by preventing defects from forming on the section during the coating process.
Additionally, the part measurer including at least one digital camera enables the coating apparatus of the present invention to measure and coat parts including irregular shaped surfaces such angled surfaces, beveled surfaces, round surfaces, tapered surfaces, convex surfaces, concave surfaces or other irregular surfaces. The digital camera takes a plurality of sequential digital pictures of the entire section of the part being coated and the processor calculates a dimension associated with each plane of the section of the part based on the pictures. By measuring the entire section of the part, the coating apparatus can accurately measure and coat angled or irregular surfaces on a section of a part that are not in the plane of the laser generated by the laser generator. Therefore, the digital camera expands the planes of the section of the part that can be measured by the part measurer, and thereby prevents the sprayer from applying excess coating to surfaces or an incorrect amount of coating on the section of the part such as angled surfaces, which are not measured by the laser generator and laser receiver.
In another alternative embodiment, the part measurer further includes a plurality of digital cameras. In one aspect of this embodiment, the digital cameras take digital pictures of the same dimension of a section being coated. In another aspect, at least two digital cameras take digital pictures of different dimensions of a section being coated. In a further aspect, at least two digital cameras take digital pictures of dimensions of different sections on the part being coated.
In a further alternative embodiment, the part measurer includes at least one digital camera, but does not include a laser generator and a laser receiver. In this embodiment, the digital camera is positioned adjacent to the part support and is directed at the position of the part being coated. The digital cameras measure different planes of a dimension of a section of a part. The digital camera may also be used to measure the dimension of different sections of the part.
In a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, the part measurer measures and coats parts that are not round. In this embodiment, the sprayer and the part measurer simultaneously measure and coat a section of the part by measuring two axes or a first and second dimension of the section of the part. For example, in the embodiment described above, the part measurer includes a laser generator, a laser receiver and a digital camera. The laser generator, the laser receiver and the digital camera measure the dimensions of a section of the part being coated. While the part is rotated and coated, the part measurer measures a first dimension of the section of the part such as the length. The part measurer then measures a second dimension of the section such as the width. The two dimensions (i.e., the length and width) are calculated during the coating process and enable the sprayer to accurately coat the section of the non-round part.
In another embodiment, the part measurer is employed in a powder coating process or powder spray process. In the powder spray process, the powder coating includes very fine particles which are applied to the section of the part being coated. In one embodiment, a charge such as a positive charge is generated in the entire part or the section of the part being coated using electricity from a conventional electrical outlet or other suitable electrical source. The part or the section of the part includes an opposite charge to that of the powder coating. The oppositely charged part or part surface attracts the fine particles of the powder coating to the part. The resultant coated part includes an even and uniform coating, which strongly adheres to the surface of the part. In one embodiment, the powder coated part is cured using a suitable curing device or curing process, which shrinks the powder coating onto the part being coated or the section of the part being coated. In one embodiment, a single powder coating layer is applied to the part or the section of the part being coated using the powder coating system or process described above. In another embodiment, two powder coating layers are applied to the part or the section of the part being coated.
In a further embodiment, a liquid coating layer such as a primer coating is applied to the part initially and then the powder coating is applied to the primer coating on the part. The powder coating adheres to the liquid coating or primer coating to produce the final coated part. In another embodiment, one or more topcoats or final coating layers are applied to the powder coating on the section of the part being coated. It should be appreciated that the part measurer of the present invention may be employed in a coating system that applies powder coatings, liquid coatings or any suitable combination of powder coatings and liquid coatings to a part or section of a part.
In another embodiment, the part measurer is employed in an electrostatic powder spray system which utilizes one or more electrostatic spray guns to apply a powder coating to a part or a section of the part being coated. In this embodiment, a bonding material, bonding coating or primer and then a conductive material or conductive coating is applied to the section of the part being coated. The powder or powder coating includes a charge such as a positive charge and the conductive material includes an opposite charge such as a negative charge. The conductive coating attracts the oppositely charged powder coating to the conductive material or coating on the part or the section of the part. In one embodiment, the coated part is cured using a suitable curing device or curing process.
In a further embodiment, a coating system includes a plurality of coating stations, wherein each station includes at least one part measurer and at least one sprayer or coating applicator. In one embodiment, a suitable processor such as a computer having a monitor is used to communicate with the part measurers and sprayers at each station. In another embodiment, a computer and monitor are located at each station and communicate and control the operation of the part measurer or part measurers and the sprayer or sprayers at each station. The stations are preferably connected by conveyors or other suitable part transportation devices. In this embodiment, a part or a section of a part is coated at one or more of the stations while being measured at one or more of the stations. The conveyors transport the part to be coated to and from each of the stations. It should be appreciated that each station may include a sprayer or sprayers that apply a liquid coating, a powder coating, a plurality of liquid coatings, a plurality of powder coatings or any suitable combination of liquid and powder coatings to the part or section of the part being coated. In one embodiment, one or more of the stations include a curing oven, infrared oven or other suitable curing device or process, which cures one or more of the coatings applied to the part.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for coating a part that measures at least two dimensions of the section of the part being coated.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that detects defects and/or irregularities generated during the coating and measuring of a part.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that significantly enhances coating accuracy.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that provides consistent coating of parts.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method that increases the coating efficiency related to coating parts.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the figures.